Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU)

What is a Patient-Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU)

Patient-Initiated Follow-Up (PIFU) is a more flexible way of managing your hospital care. Instead of having routine follow-up appointments booked automatically, you can choose to contact your care team and arrange an appointment only when you feel you need one.

This approach is designed to:

• Give you more control over your care
• Reduce unnecessary hospital visits
• Ensure you get support when it matters most

If your clinician agrees that PIFU is suitable for you, you will be given clear guidance on:

• What symptoms or changes to look out for
• How and when to get in touch
• How long you will remain on the PIFU pathway

Frequently asked questions 

When should I arrange a PIFU appointment?

We have discussed PIFU in your clinic appointment and detailed the information in your clinic letter. However, you should call the team if you experience a flare-up of your symptoms or have any concerns and feel that you need to be seen in the clinic. You can follow the three-step process below to make your appointment:

1. Call your speciality team between the hours of 9am – 5pm on the telephone number given to you on your leaflet and information. 
2. Explain to the team that you need to have a PIFU follow up appointment. 
3. Agree an appointment date and time. 

When not to use PIFU 

If you require urgent medical advice, you should contact your GP or NHS 111 who will advise you on the best course of action. 

Will I still have regular appointments? 

No. The PIFU pathway will mean that we are not planning on seeing you, or as indicated above we will see you less often, unless YOU decide you need to be seen. This might feel a bit strange, but we are confident that you know enough about your condition to know when you need to be seen.

Does this mean that I will not see my usual clinician? 

This depends on which specialty you are being seen by. If you have a preference, please ask when you contact us, and we will try to accommodate this.

What if I am worried and change my mind about this style of appointment follow up?

Some patients express concern about losing regular contact with the hospital. Everyone has different feelings when they no longer need to be seen regularly by their medical team. If you wish to go back to booking regular hospital appointments, just tell us and we will arrange this for you.

Leaflet

Useful Contact Numbers